CORONATION Street actors have slammed William Roache's trial as a "waste of taxpayers' money".

His acquittal of rape and indecent assault comes four months after his co-star Michael Le Vell was cleared of 12 child sex abuse charges, including rape, in September.

Commentators have said that the “spectre of Jimmy Savile” loomed large over Roache’s prosecution.

Nazir Afzal, the Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West who managed both cases, insisted last year that "nobody should be above the law", and promised that cases involving famous defendants would be dealt with in the same way as any other.

However, the CPS has been accused by defence lawyers of going on a 'celebrity witch-hunt' as Coronation Street co-stars Roache and Le Vell were cleared by juries.

Actor Ken Morley, who played Reg Holdsworth in the soap echoed their view, saying: "Considering the Michael Le Vell farce, they should be careful about the waste of taxpayers' money.

"My heart goes out to Bill as nobody who knew him had any doubts about him.

"We all knew it was nonsense from the outset.

"It is part of the Jimmy Savile witch hunt."

Peter Baldwin, who played Derek Wilton for 21 years in the hit ITV soap, added: "It is one person's word against another after 50 years - it is dreadful that it comes to court.

'I am glad for Bill and not at all surprised by the verdict.

Michael Le Vell was also cleared of child sex charges last year [NIGEL RODDIS]

Former Coronation Street actors Kenneth Cope and Charlie Lawson slammed the CPS and said that got the basic details of the trial wrong.

In an exclusive interview with Channel 5, Mr Cope said he never believed the accusations and Mr Lawson praised Mr Roache for handling himself with "dignity" during the trial.

Mr Cope, who played Jed Stone in the soap, said he was not even in the country the year an accuser said she saw him at Granada Studios in Manchester.

He said: “The Crown Prosecution Service should have examined my part of it, when I was dragged into it... They would’ve found I was nowhere near the studio. I couldn’t have been there.”

He added: “I was very, very surprised because, basically, from what I knew about Bill I didn’t think he was capable of doing it.

"I didn’t think it was true. He wouldn’t have to. Bill attracted all sorts of ladies, many ladies, he had the pick of grown up women.

"There was no need for it. To be quite honest. I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe it at the time and I certainly don’t believe it now."

Mr Lawson, who played Jim McDonald on the soap, praised Mr Roache for the way he handles himself throughout the trial.

He said: "He's handled himself with great dignity. He's been calm, collected and he's shown great maturity - mentally and emotionally - but that's what we would have expected of William Roache.

"No different, nothing different from what we would have expected."

John Stevenson, a Street scriptwriter and friend of Roache's for 40 years, also spoke out in support of the actor.

He said: "I am pleased for Bill and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty is something I believe in.

"I have known him for 40 years and have never heard or seen him doing anything crass or aggressive to anyone.

"He is the most mild-mannered and non-aggressive man you could wish to meet."

Roache’s barrister Louise Blackwell QC, told the jury in his trial at Preston Crown Court that the 81 year-old actor had been the victim of "an unhealthy interest in the concept of celebrity".

She also said that the trial was haunted by the "spectre" of Jimmy Savile.

Criticism of police and prosecutors over Savile's impunity despite years of suspicions of sex abuse meant accusations against other celebrities had to end in a trial, she said.

Miss Blackwell added: "In the post-Jimmy Savile era, once someone makes an allegation, it's got to go to court, no sense will prevail, it has to go to court."

Freddie Starr, Paul Gambaccini and Jimmy Tarbuck are among those who remain on bail after being arrested last year under Operation Yewtree, the police investigation which followed Savile’s posthumous exposure as a paedophile.

Max Clifford has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of indecent assault and it awaiting trial.

Rolf Harris is also awaiting trial over 12 charges of indecent assault, which he denies.

BBC presenter Stuart Hall is the only celebrity to be found guilty of historic sex offences since the Savile scandal broke.

Although he initially denied any wrongdoing, he pleaded guilty in April 2013 to having indedently assaulted 13 girls, aged between 9 and 17 years old, between 1967 and 1986.

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